FNF Week 3: IHC falls to Bishop Ludden 15-13

Defense continued to rule the day throughout the second half. But a few big plays made this one exciting at the end. Zach Harding ran back an interception 12 yards for a score to put Bishop Ludden up 15-7. Lindsey Pound then responded with a 90 yard kickoff return touchdown for IHC with under two minutes to play. But the Bishop Ludden defense held strong on the two point attempt.

IHC-7 @ Bishop Ludden-8, 9:47 3rd Quarter

After a low-scoring first half, the Bishop Ludden defense took the initiative with a safety early in the third quarter.

Halftime, IHC-7 @ Bishop Ludden-6

IHC-7 @ Bishop Ludden-6, 10:27 2nd Quarter

Both defenses held firm for the remainder of the first quarter. But Bishop Ludden answered early in the second quarter on a 67 yard touchdown pass from Matt Rodgers to Antoine Montgomery. The PAT was blocked.

IHC-7 @ Bishop Ludden-0, 6:30 1st Quarter

Michael Marra rushes for a nine yard touchdown to open up the scoring in the 1st quarter.

Preview

Bishop Ludden needs to turn it around…and fast. Coming off of a 36-14 loss against Skaneatles last week in which the Gaelic Knights were shut out in the second half, things don’t get much easier. Bishop Ludden takes the field tonight in a Class C showdown against Immaculate Heart Central, a team that has outscored its opponents 94-6 en route to a 2-0 start on the season.

Each team enters play with a prolific running game. The Cavaliers are led by senior running back Santino Alteri, son of Head Coach Paul Alteri. The younger Alteri leads IHC by averaging 106 yards per game to go along with 4 touchdowns. He also has a punt return for a touchdown.

The Gaelic Knights also have a back averaging over 100 yards a game. Mike Works has powered the offense by running for 205 yards and 4 touchdowns. Duel threat quarterback Matt Rodgers has run for 115 yards and 1 touchdown while also throwing for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The key matchup in this game is the Gaelic Knights offense against the Cavaliers defense. The Knights are averaging 30 points per game, while the Cavaliers have surrendered only 6 points all season. It also helps that IHC is averaging 47.5 points per game on offense, another tough matchup for Bishop Ludden.

IHC holds a half game lead over Lowville and General Brown for first place in Section 3 Class C-North. Bishop Ludden is a game behind Tully for first place in Section 3 Class C-West.